


Out of the Flames

by RainCoveredLens



Series: Running with Wolves [3]
Category: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016)
Genre: A Dragon - Freeform, Angst, Berserkers, Boat, Dirk gets kidnapped, I don't know, Kitsunes, M/M, Painting, Todd and Farah and Amanda have to save him, Werewolf!AU, Werewolf!Todd, Werewolves, a little fluff, because, hope you like it, mostly angst, none of the gang dies this time, oh some memory loss, there's a fight, there's a lot, why not
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-01
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-12 03:18:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13538559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainCoveredLens/pseuds/RainCoveredLens
Summary: Todd was far too content to reach for the ringing phone. The smell of the early morning filled his nose, and a comfortable weight was resting on his chest. He cracked open his eyes to see a nest of auburn hair right below his chin. He let a small smile crack his lips as Dirk fidgeted, making an agitated squeaking noise as he did.





	1. Mr. Lumber McFuckOff

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy hey and welcome to part three of the Running with Wolves series!
> 
> I promise. I don't kill anyone this time (or do I??? (I don't, I promise nobody dies, at least not from the main crew)) and there's a mystery involving a painting.
> 
> Let me know what you think!

Todd was far too content to reach for the ringing phone. The smell of the early morning filled his nose, and a comfortable weight was resting on his chest. He cracked open his eyes to see a nest of auburn hair right below his chin. He let a small smile crack his lips as Dirk fidgeted, making an agitated squeaking noise as he did.

"'s too early," Dirk grumbled, rubbing his head against Todd as he threw his hand out looking for the knit throw he had thrown off in the night. The ringing stopped as Todd looked over at the phone. Maybe whoever it was would let them sleep for a few more minutes. Todd reached out and found the knit throw tangled up near his head. As carefully as he could he placed it over Dirk with his free hand, the other currently trapped under Dirk's body. Dirk let out a soft sigh draped his free hand across Todd's waist, grabbing onto his hip.

"'uv you," Dirk mumbled. Todd laughed lightly.

"I 'uv you too." Dirk squeezed Todd's hip.

"Haha, so funny." Dirk heaved a sigh and turned his head up to look at Todd. Todd could have lived in that moment forever, staring at Dirk, warm and comfortable on a perfect Saturday.

Unfortunately for Todd, the universe had other plans. Or at least, the person calling him did.

His phone fired up again, ringing and slowly vibrating its way to the edge of the nightstand. Todd groaned and reached for his phone, taking a look at the caller ID before answering.

"Amy. What could you possibly want at 7 in the morning on a Saturday? I thought teenagers were supposed to sleep till the afternoon?"

"Oo, that sounds lovely, let's do that," Dirk whispered, adjusting himself so that he was looking up at Todd without having to crane his neck.

"Finally, you picked up. I've been trying for like 10 minutes." She sounded far too chipper for this time of the morning and on a Saturday no less. Chipper meant that there wasn't an emergency. And if there wasn't an emergency, Todd didn't want to be awake. Todd groaned as he closed his eyes and leaned back into his pillow.

"Yes, I'm aware. What do you want?"

"You said I could have a job at the agency when I became a legal adult. Well, guess who just turned 18? I'd like a desk by the front door, please." Todd blinked his eyes and then looked down at Dirk for a moment.

"You turned 18? I thought you were like 15. Do your parents know you want to work at a holistic detective agency?" Todd asked.

To say that Todd and Amy had become friends in the three months since being held captive would have been a weird, since Todd was 36, and Amy was apparently 18, and not 15 as he had initially thought. She had started hanging around the office about a month after the case and had even dragged Todd and Dirk out to dinner with her parents.

Amy's parents, however, didn't seem to mind in the least that their daughter was hanging around him. They had explained that in the wolf community you made friends with everyone, regardless of age. It came with there only being about 75 wolves in all of Seattle, so everyone knew everyone. And after the breakout, everyone knew Todd and Dirk. Amy's parents had actually encouraged the friendship, stating that Amy needed a good adult role model in her life that wasn't just her family members. It probably also helped ease their minds to know that Todd and Dirk were an item.

"Todd, you've met my parents, of course they know, they know everything. And yes, I'm 18! I'm just small for my age. So what do you say, desk by the door?"

"If I say yes will you let me sleep?"

"Cross my heart."

"Cool, you're hired." He tossed the phone away before she could respond, letting out a sigh as he rubbed his eyes.

"We have a secretary now." Todd sighed into his palm. Dirk snorted.

"I heard. Well, since we're up, I'm going to make tea." Dirk crawled over Todd and out of bed, heading out and towards the kitchen. Todd moaned at the loss of Dirk but sat up, stretching as he went.

Todd and Dirk had moved in together about a month prior, finding a very decent sized place near the office while also still being within walking distance of Farah. Dirk had joked at the time that the universe wanted it that way, and Todd had to agree, the apartment was beyond perfect. It was quiet, it was spacious, and it had two extra bedrooms, perfect for when the Rowdies came to town. It was also on the bottom floor which meant that it opened out onto a lawn and backed up against a line of trees.

Todd stood from the bed and quietly walked after Dirk, wanting to get a proper good morning kiss before he went for a run. He made it to the kitchen but was surprised to see that Dirk wasn't there.

"Dirk?" He tried. No answer. He reached out across the bond they shared.

_Dirk?_

Still nothing. Todd didn't want to panic, but fear started creeping its way into his system, he had only let him out of his sight for two minutes, what could the universe have done in two minutes?

Todd followed Dirk's scent towards the back door and out onto their little patio. Dirk had definitely been out here, but where was he at that moment? As he thought it, Dirk appeared from around the corner with a little gasp.

"Goodness, Todd, you startled me. Is everything alright?" Todd frowned.

"Startled you? I thought you were missing. Why didn't you respond?" Dirk looked worried, and Todd could have sworn he felt panic on the edge of the connection.

"My apologies. I didn't hear you." Dirk was herding him back inside before Todd could ask him about what he had been doing around the side of the building.

"Didn't hear? Dirk, we have a psychic link that works all the time, what do you mean you didn't hear?" Dirk had gone red, and he smelled remarkably anxious.

"Oh, that. I thought that was, the, um, the universe. I thought that was a hunch. They're very similar, the hunches, and the, the bond. Very similar. I get them confused sometimes. Won't happen again!" Dirk had closed and locked the door and was quickly pushing Todd back towards the kitchen, attempting to complete his original task of making tea.

"Is there something in the yard you don't want me to see?" Todd asked as Dirk flicked on the stove. Todd felt the anxiety spike while Dirk shook his head.

"Of course not, it is simply the backyard, or patio I suppose. There's nothing that wasn't there the day before or the day before last. Absolutely nothing. English or Earl?" Dirk held of two boxes, neither of which were English Breakfast or Earl Grey.

"Dirk, it's okay if you're trying to surprise me with something. I won't poke at it anymore." Todd didn't want to make Dirk feel like he couldn't have secrets. Todd would prefer if there were no secrets at all between them, but fun surprise type secrets were completely fine.

"There's nothing in the yard. I promise. Now English or- oh, um, I guess Passion Fruit or Sleep Aid? Well, Passion Fruit it is then." Dirk pitched the sleep aid tea over his shoulder, somehow making it back into the still open tea cupboard.

"Alright, I'm gonna go for a run." Todd laughed, heading back towards their room. If Dirk was trying to do some big thing he would let him, and if it wasn't meant to happen than the universe would make sure Dirk didn't get himself killed. At least Todd didn't have to look out for him all of the time.

  
On Saturdays and Sundays, the office was only open for about four hours, between 10 and 2. Todd strode in behind Dirk and was not surprised to see Farah begrudgingly putting together a new Ikea table.

"Which one of you did this?" She growled. Dirk gave a snort and point in Todd's direction.

"You can thank him for this. To be fair, she woke me up too. I probably would have hired her to get her off the phone as well." Dirk smiled, lightly bumping into Todd's shoulder.

"She can hear you!" Amy shouted from the kitchen. Dirk rolled his eyes.

"Great, now we have two people with super-hearing. I liked it better when I was the weirdest one here." Dirk walked over to his desk and tossed his bag down. Todd followed suit, throwing his bag under his desk and setting his coffee on the down.

"Oh, is this what jealousy looks like on Dirk Gently? I lied last week. Green is a terrible color on you." Dirk looked actually offended, placing a hand over his heart and everything.

"How dare you! I look amazing in every color, and you know it!" That garnered a snort from Farah who had just finished connecting the last leg of the table. Todd walked back towards the door and helped Farah flip the desk over and pick up the random Ikea box parts.

"Yes, every color looks great on _Dirk Gently_ ," Farah said, waving her hands a little over Dirk's name. Dirk huffed and crossed his arms.

"When did this become Attack Dirk Day?"

"Since you have the best reactions." Amy appeared in the doorway of the kitchen holding a plate of doughnuts. She walked over to Dirk offering him the plate and a smile.

"But they love you, so don't take it personally. Doughnut?" The anger, or at least agitation, Dirk had evaporated as he reached for the sugariest doughnut on the plate.

"Don't mind if I do. We're going to have to promote you to assistant if you keep this up."

"No, she doesn't get to do field work until she's at least 25. I will not have her parents killing me because I let their daughter get shot at." Todd stated from his desk.

"I'm gonna get shot at? This is the best job ever!" Amy was literally beaming as she hopped over to Farah with the rest of the doughnuts.

"If I had known you were going to be as crazy as Dirk I never would have talked to you when we were trapped," Todd said as he flipped his computer on. Usually, the weekends were pretty slow, paperwork mostly, and Todd had quite a stack that had been piling up. Amy snorted as she placed the rest of the doughnuts on her desk.

"Keep telling yourself that." She wandered over to the stack of papers on Todd's desk and grabbed a few.

"So, how can I help? Organizing? Taking calls? Oh I know, giving you all the much needed social media make-over you didn't even know you needed." Dirk perked up at the last one.

"Can you get us on the Instabook and the Facetube?" Amy and Todd exchanged looks before Amy started to giggle.

"Sure, I'll get right on both of those things. Starting with Twitter, where I just tweet things you say, cause that's golden." She walked back over to her bag and pulled out a tablet and her phone.

"Whatever you do, make sure you give Farah the login info, her brain is like a steel trap for passwords," Todd said as he sifted through the surprising amount of email he had received in the last two days. Many of the cases were walk-ins but occasionally, someone would email them, and it was Todd's job to search through and reply to the cases they picked up.

"Got it, boss." Amy was already through with the twitter account set-up and appeared to be scheduling posts.

_Hunch._

Todd glanced up. Dirk had been sifting through the mail and was currently staring at a flyer.

"Whatcha got?" Dirk glanced up, his cheeks going red.

"Sorry, did I do it again?" Todd shrugged as he walked over to inspect the flyer.

"It's fine. So are we," Todd read the flyer, "Going to the Seattle Art Museum today?" Dirk looked back down and shrugged.

"Maybe, I don't know. Would you mind if we went and checked it out?" Dirk seemed hesitant to follow this lead. Todd could feel the anxiety itching at the corners of his brain, and he wondered, not for the first time, if hunches could pass along whether or not they would be good or bad.

"Why not? Farah and Amy can hold down the fort. Right?" Amy glanced up at him from setting up their Facebook page.

"Sure thing. Hey, can I hire a photographer? I know a guy who does great promotional type stuff." Todd shrugged.

"Convince Farah. Dirk and I will be back in a bit." Todd grabbed the keys to the company car and headed out the door, Dirk close behind. As the door closed, Todd could hear Amy beginning her assault on Farah in regards to brand image and awareness.

"Those two are going to have so much fun together." Todd laughed as he hopped into the driver's seat. He glanced over at Dirk who still looked a little anxious.

"Everything okay?" Dirk looked up.

"I think so. I don't know yet. I'm sure it'll be fine." Todd nodded his head as they pulled out of the lot and headed downtown.

The universe gave them little presents the whole way to the museum. All of the lights were green, there was no traffic, and there was even parking right outside the building. The drive over also seemed to have relaxed Dirk who had started talking about other museums he had been to as they got out of the car.

"The Louvre is beautiful but very large. I got lost inside, and no one knew I was there. That was difficult to explain to the police when I accidentally tripped an alarm." Todd snorted.

"Somehow I just can't believe it was an accident." He opened the museum door for Dirk, and they quickly paid for admission with their company cards.

Todd followed Dirk through room after room, looking at paintings and sculptures and everything in between. They were just about through the building when Dirk paused in front of a gallery.

"Let's go in here." Todd glanced at the sign as they entered. 'Great Masters' it read, and the room was indeed filled with beautiful work by the masters. DaVinci, Rembrandt, Monet, Picasso, but the one Dirk was currently standing in front of was a Van Gogh. He was frowning at the painting, looking it over carefully like he was trying to remember every little detail.

"He was so sad wasn't he, the man who painted this." Dirk's voice was somber, trying not to speak too loud in fear that the paintings would hear. Todd nodded looking at the piece.

"It's really unfortunate. He had a hard life, but he made beautiful art, and he'll always be remembered." Dirk nodded but continued to stare at the painting. Todd had looked it over four times before he decided to read the small plaque next to the canvas.

"' _Olive Orchard_ by Vincent Van Gogh, Donated to the Seattle Art Museum by an anonymous patron.' Jeez, I'd like to get to the point where I can just give away millions of dollars worth of art." Dirk made an agreement noise but was still frowning at the painting.

"Everything okay?" Todd asked. Dirk looked over.

"Oh um, yes, quite. It's just, does it look off?" Todd glanced back at the painting.

"I mean it's a Van Gogh, I think it's supposed to make you feel something as opposed to being a perfect snapshot of the world."

"Right, I just, I don't know, it seems, it's nothing. Art is strange." Dirk turned towards the door. Todd followed, looking at the painting as he went trying to see what Dirk saw.

"Well, where to next?" Todd asked as they headed back to the car. Dirk checked his watch and smiled.

"I could go for some food. Want to go to the wharf?" Todd smiled.

"You read my mind."

They hopped in the car and headed down towards the Sound.

  
"All I'm saying is that Van Gogh was more of an impressionist. With the focus on shape and color and feeling ya' know?" Todd was speaking around his sandwich as they sat looking down at the marina.

"And I agree. What I'm saying is that when I looked at the painting, I felt very disoriented. I feel like art shouldn't do that to you." Todd finished his sandwich and tossed the trash in the garbage.

"No, art probably shouldn't make you disoriented. Do you think it was, like, a thing?" Dirk frowned continuing to watch the marina.

"Possibly, but I'm not sure yet. We need more clues. Can we go down there?" Dirk had stood and was heading towards the stairs that led down to the pier and the marina. Todd followed quickly behind.

"I mean we're not supposed to unless we own a boat, but most of what we do probably isn't something normal people do so why not." They proceeded down the steps and out onto the dock, rows of expensive looking boats on either side of them. Dirk seemed to be looking for something, and Todd knew better than to distract him while he was in clue finding mode. They walked along the docks and ended up in front of a modest-looking yacht, or as modest as a yacht could look. Surely not something you would take out to sea, but something flashy that you could show off to your friends. Before Todd could stop him, Dirk had hopped on deck and was headed for the bridge.

"Hey Dirk, what are you doing?" Dirk pointed up towards the bridge.

"I'm going up there. Come on." Todd groaned but followed him, quietly cursing himself for letting Dirk climb onto a yacht that was clearly worth more than either of them would ever see in their life combined. They entered the bridge, and it was nothing too fantastic, just some controls, some maps, and a couple of binders.

Dirk went straight for the binders flipping them open and thumbing through them.

"This is odd. It seems to be a ledger. There's dates, and locations, some sort of shorthand, and then a price. Is that typical for boats or is that odd?" Todd walked over. The binder was indeed some sort form of transaction ledger.

"No, that's weird." Voices sounded from below deck, and Todd threw a panicked look at the door.

"We're not alone, we've got to get out of here." They headed for the door, but Todd stopped, backing up and pushing Dirk back the other way.

"Not that way, people coming. Go out the back." They quickly ran down the stairs and headed toward the back of the boat. However, Todd promptly realized his mistake. The dock they had used to get onto the yacht did not stretch all the way to the back, leaving them two options; the first being get caught, the other being swim.

"Hey, come on, we're going to have to jump." Todd hissed, trying to keep his voice down so that the people on the boat didn't hear. Todd could feel the fear spike through their connection immediately.

"What? In the water? Like swim? Oh no, that's quite alright I'm sure that we can find another way to get off the boat. Perhaps we can hide and wait for them to leave, or maybe they're friendly, and they will understand that we don't mean trouble." There was the sound of a commotion from up on the bridge and shouting.

"Dirk, it's fine. Come on." Todd slipped over the railing and waited for Dirk to do the same. Dirk, however, was looking back towards the voices. Todd could feel the thought process starting up and wondered what Dirk was about to do.

_Hunch._

Dirk turned, pain in his eyes.

"I'm sorry." He said as he pushed Todd backward. The last thing Todd saw before he hit the water was Dirk running towards the sound of the boat's inhabitants.

  
"He pushed you into the ocean?" Amy was sitting on the couch as Todd dried his hair.

"Yes, off the boat and into the ocean. When I finally got out the ocean they were long gone. I've been trying to contact him, but I think he's unconscious. Any luck figuring out who owns that boat?" He glanced over at Farah who was quickly typing on her computer. She looked up and shook her head.

"Not yet, I'm still trying to work through all the shell corporations. As far as I can tell, no one owns the boat." Todd frowned and tossed the towel on top of the pile of soaking wet clothes.

"Well, that's just great. The worst part is I don't even know what the case is supposed to be. At least with you, I was up to speed," he pointed at Amy, "This one just got started, I have no idea where I'm supposed to start looking." Todd went to stand but his legs buckled under him. Amy and Farah both shot up, Amy getting there first.

"Yo, you okay?"

Todd wasn't sure. He felt like something was gone like he had lost something, but he wasn't sure what.

"I don't know. I feel-"

Dirk.

He tried reaching out but found nothing. Dirk was gone.

"I can't feel him anymore. Amy," Amy looked worried, but not panicked.

"It's okay, that can happen. Rarely. But it can. Trust me. You'd know if he was dead." Todd glared at her. "Right, sorry, not helping. But you would know. Is it a dull ache that makes you want to fling yourself off a building?" Todd shook his head.

"No, it's just like, he's gone." Todd didn't want to start panicking. He couldn't afford to panic. He had to find Dirk.

"Well, then he's not dead. Focus on that. There's not a lot of things that can block a bond. I'm going to call my dad. He knows more about this stuff than I do. I'm sure he'll know what to do." She jumped up and headed out the front door with her phone leaving Todd leaning against his desk. Farah walked over slowly and crouched down next to Todd.

"Are you okay?" Todd looked at her.

He wasn't sure. He just wanted to find Dirk, to get this whole thing figured out, but he had a feeling that something bad was coming. Maybe this is how Dirk felt when he got hunches. Todd sighed and stood. He needed to do something while he waited for Amy to come back, so he would start cross-referencing the shell companies with a list he had yet to make for the museum.

"Let's just find Dirk." Farah nodded and headed back to her desk.

  
Dirk had never woken up so well rested. Even though he had been kidnapped, and drugged into a light coma, he had to give it to the bad guys; they certainly knew how to whip up a sleeping cocktail. He groaned and held his watch up to his face.

7:03 pm Sunday.

He had been unconscious for a little over a day. Great, he was sure Todd was thrilled with him.

_Todd?_

Nothing.

_Todd?_

Again nothing.

He sat up and looked around. He was trapped in a roomy cage, and to his surprise, he wasn't alone. Sitting against the back wall was a very tall looking man. He wore jeans and a plain t-shirt and had a hoodie that was partially zipped up. He had short blonde hair and a rough looking beard. Dirk had a moment where he thought the man looked like a lumberjack, or possibly a fisherman from one of those intense fishing shows on the television.

The man opened his eyes slightly and scowled at Dirk.

"Oh great, you're awake." His voice was rough from lack of use.

"Hello, my name is-"

"Don't care. Just stay on your side of the cage, and I'll stay on mine." Of course Dirk had to be sharing a cell with the grumpiest person possible. Todd got to be cell mates with Amy, but who did Dirk get? Mr. Lumber McFuckOff, that's who. Dirk huffed and stood.

_Fine,_ he thought, _I'll get myself out._

Dirk grabbed the bars and attempted the pull them apart. He knew it was futile and he was acutely aware of the stabbing pain in his shoulder, most likely from the injection of the medication, but he had to try something, anything. His cellmate groaned as Dirk moved slowly, trying to find a weak point in any of the bars.

"It's not going to work. If I couldn't get the bars open, you certainly can't." Dirk whirled around, heat burning in his chest and face.

"Thank you for that wonderful vote of confidence. I'm sure you're aware of how sturdy this cell is, but allow me to expend some of my energy trying to escape!" Dirk was yelling. His voice was already sore from the shouting he had done the day before while he was being captured and drugged, but if Dirk kept up the volume he was speaking with, he was going to lose his voice altogether.

The man, who Dirk still didn't know the name of, stood slowly, revealing that he was a good head taller than Dirk and many inches wider. Dirk backed up against the bars of the cell as the man moved slowly forward.

"These bars are cast iron and infused with dragon blood, do you know what that means?" The man towered over Dirk, his scarred face inches from Dirk's nose.

"Of course I don't know what that means, do I look like a person who knows things?" His voice had already begun to squeak. He was going to have to stop yelling.

"It means that unless you're a dragon or unless you have the key, those bars aren't budging. So how about you do us both a favor, and sit down, and be quiet." The man bared his teeth as he growled out the second half of his sentence. Dirk had the pleasure of breathing in what was most likely weeks worth of bad breath, but he also noticed the elongated canines.

"Oh! You're a thing!" The man grabbed Dirk by the front of his button up and lifted him off the ground.

"No! No! Wait! Not in a bad way! I know people! Lots of people, you're like them! Please don't kill me!" Dirk had shut his eyes, hoping that if he couldn't see what was about to happen that it wouldn't happen at all.

"What do you mean?" Dirk cracked open one of his eyes. The man looked slightly confused but unquestionably still angry.

"Your teeth, they're elongated. My friend, well, boyfriend, well fiancé, he's a werewolf. Is that–" the man groaned and dropped Dirk. He turned around and headed back to the spot he had been sitting previously.

"Wolves. Think they're all that. They're not the only ones out there ya' know." He had returned to sitting and was leaning against the wall, a faraway look in his eyes. Dirk inched forward, taking a seat just out of arm's reach.

"Well, I know that. I've also met a kitsune. She's delightful. Are you not a wolf then?" The man glared over at him, and for a moment Dirk was afraid the man was going to kill him.

"No," he growled, "I'm a berserker, think very big, very deadly bear."

"Ah, well that explains," Dirk gestured, realizing a moment too late that that might have been the wrong move, "nevermind. That's fascinating." The man continued to glare at him, slowly letting silence fill the space.

"Are you always like this? So, annoying?" The man asked. Dirk gave a shrug and a smile.

"I've been told I'm an acquired taste. I'm Dirk Gently by the way. I'm a holistic detective."

"Holistic? Like, everything is connected, holistic?" The man seemed to have softened, his tone slightly less agitated. Dirk took it as a good sign.

"Exactly!" He smiled as the man made a humph sound and rested his head back against the wall.

"My name is Nick. It's, well, it's not nice to meet you, but it's not the worst interaction I've ever had with a person." Dirk snorted.

"That's a ringing endorsement where I'm concerned. So tell me about these dragon blood bars, they're unbreakable you say?" Nick, sighed and lifted his head from the wall looking over at Dirk.

"They are natural dampeners to my type of magic, I guess you would call it. The iron in combination with the dragon's blood causes shifters to lose their abilities. Wolves, jaguars, foxes, bears, it doesn't matter what you are, it affects us all the same. It's built into the framework of this building as well. The whole place is a dead zone." Dirk looked over at the bars.

"And, could it also suppress a bond?"

"That wolf nonsense? Yes, absolutely." Dirk reached out and grasped one of the bars.

"So, Todd can't find me. I'm on my own. Or well, more accurately, we're on our own." He looked back over at Nick who was shaking his head.

"No, there is no we. There's me, and there's you. Those assholes will come back, and then there will only be one of us. My money's on you." Nick waved his hand towards the door across the room from the cage, "They've probably already figured out what they want to do with me, which will leave you, alone in this cage. Your werewolf whatever he is can't save you." Nick paused, looking over at Dirk.

"Wait, why, did you get captured in the first place?" Dirk swallowed and tried to look as innocent as possible.

"Those men, may or may not, be under the impression that I am, in fact, a werewolf." Nick raised an eyebrow.

"And why do they think that?" It sounded almost like Nick was amused.

"Well, because. I was on a case, with Todd, and we were investigating a boat, and we were about to get caught, but I pushed him overboard, and when they found my cards, for my agency, they assumed I was the werewolf that they had rumors about, and I didn't correct them." Nick was laughing at this point.

"You pushed your fiancé off a boat and then pretended to be him hoping the bad guys wouldn't, what, kill you?" Dirk was flustered. How dare Nick judge him, he wasn't there, he didn't understand. Dirk was about to argue when the door banged open. Nick's laughter died instantly and he jumped to his feet. For a moment Dirk swore he could see the bear underneath the surface.

"You! Up!" A guard type person shouted. He wore all black along with a Kevlar vest and had a machine gun slung over his chest. Dirk scrambled to his feet and inched closer to Nick who had started clenching and unclenching his fists.

"Zhao would like to have a word with you." The man said, opening the door to the cell, leveling the gun at both of them.

"With me, or-" the guard grabbed Dirk by his tie and dragged him out of the cell.

"Yup got it!" He cried as he stumbled forward towards the door. Another guard appeared holding a set of handcuffs, the silver metal reflected off the lights, and Dirk knew he was about to be found out. Think, think, think. How could he get out of wearing the handcuffs?

The universe had an answer.

Dirk tripped, falling forward onto his hand and hearing a resounding snap. Pain raced up his arm as a cry left his lips. The guard with the gun shouted at the other to get him up and to get him going, that the handcuffs didn't matter.

"Up!" The new guard grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet.

"Hello, yes, terribly sorry, would it be possible to get some sort of brace perhaps? I think I've broken my wrist." Dirk was having difficulty seeing through the tears forming in his eyes. He had never broken a bone before. Sure, he had been shot, and stabbed, and shot some more, but for the most part, his bones had all remained intact.

"Zhao wants to see you now." The guard said roughly as if that answered Dirk's question.

He was dragged out of the room and down several corridors before they came to a set of double doors. The guards pushed the doors open and literally kicked Dirk inside. Dirk stumbled forward, trying with all his might to make sure that he didn't fall onto his most likely broken hand.

The room was far different from the rest of the facility that Dirk had seen up to that point. This place looked like a fancy office you might find at a college. Mahogany shelves lined the walls, books from every era neatly cataloged. A beautiful painting hung above a large burning fireplace, and Dirk was sure it was the same as the Van Gogh he had seen at the museum the day before. On either side of the painting were old Roman swords, which he assumed were originals. Furniture was scattered around the room, a few chairs, and tables near the fireplace, and in the center of the room was a massive antique desk with a large chair, and a man, who Dirk assumed was Zhao.

Zhao watched Dirk with a stoic expression. Dark hair was slicked stylishly away from his face, and a large scar ran down the side of his face. His dark eyes sparkled with the light of the fireplace. Zhao wore a well-fitting three-piece suit and exuded confidence.

"Tell me, why would you lie so that you could be captured and brought here?" Zhao had a very slight accent, but his voice was commanding. An odd feeling settled over Dirk as Zhao spoke.

"Lie? I didn't lie, I certainly am what I say I am, no doubt about it." Zhao sighed and stood, sauntering around his desk. Something seemed off with the way he moved. He took each step like he knew where he was going, but didn't seem to care what was in front of him, that he knew he could continue on his path and whatever was in front of him would either move or be moved.

"Mr. Gently. I know you're not a wolf. You know you're not a wolf. What you may not realize is that I know, your friend, Ms. Black, killed Jebediah Xerxes. According to his old bodyguards, it was over a wolf. So, I know there is a wolf, I know he is important to you, and I know that he will most likely come after you. What I don't know, is why you thought you could fool me." Zhao was terribly close at this point, but something held Dirk in place, he wasn't sure if it was fear, or something else, but he couldn't move.

"So, tell me, Mr. Gently." Dirk wasn't sure if it was the fire, or his mind playing tricks on him, but there was something off about Zhao's eyes. "Why did you allow yourself to be captured?"

"Because I can't swim." Dirk could hear himself saying. When had he started speaking? Why had he told Zhao that? "I can't swim, sink straight to the bottom. I was hoping that I might be able to get away on foot, but I was incorrect about that as well." Dirk's breath quickened. His head was spinning, and he was finding it hard to concentrate.

"Is that so. And the wolf, tell me about him." Dirk bit down on his tongue. He could feel the words trying to form in the back of his throat. What was wrong with him?

"The wolf, Mr. Gently, tell me about the wolf." The glint appeared in Zhao's eyes again. Dirk shook his head.

"No," he had meant to put more strength behind the word, but it came out breathy and strained. Zhao sighed heavily. In a move that was too fast for Dirk to register, Zhao grabbed the front of Dirk's shirt and lifted him off the ground, made more impressive since it was with one hand.

"I'm not going to say it again. Tell. Me. About. The wolf." The whole room shook, a high pitched sound etched into each of the words. Dirk gasped, struggling against Zhao's hold.

For a second, he could feel the connection. The little tug that let him know Todd was there, that Todd was okay. The bond stirred and Dirk thought he heard his name. He cried out to Todd, to the universe, to anyone who would listen.

"No!" And then he was flying, crashing roughly against the door he had just come through. Dirk collapsed to his knees, every part of his body aching, and an intense primal part telling him to run. Dirk looked up through the haze of his pain and saw Zhao stalking forward. A red light flashed through his eyes that was clearly not from the fire.

"No? No one tells me no. Perhaps you can still feel the bond, perhaps you think you can, that it will somehow give you strength. But know this, it will not. Your wolf can't save you now, and when he tries, I will burn him from existence!" Dirk was quickly losing consciousness, thinking that he probably had a concussion after being thrown thirty feet into a wall. Zhao knelt down, the smell of smoke intense as he spoke to Dirk.

"And if you don't tell me before he comes to find you, I will burn you, and everyone you care about. You will be ash, and where will your defiance be then?" Dirk fell onto his side, his eyes slipping closed. The last thing he remembered, was the fireplace, and how it glowed.

  
Todd collapsed in front of his desk. He could hear Farah in the background, calling his name, but it didn't matter. He could feel Dirk. It had been a whole day nothing, of aching, and then, there he was, back again.

_Dirk! Dirk, where are you? Dirk!_ Todd could feel his chest tighten, and his head was spinning, he reached out and found the side of his desk to try to steady himself.

_Dirk?_

Panic overtook Todd, tightening his chest further and scattering his thoughts. He smelled smoke but wasn't sure if it was real or if he was having some sort of stroke.

_No!_

Todd fell back against his desk, clutching his head. Every part of him was screaming to run, to hide, but that was the wolf. The human half was breaking apart. Dirk had pushed him out, he had broken the connection, and the human half of Todd was concerned it was for good.

"Farah?" He was crying. He could hear it in his voice and feel the tears streaking his cheeks.

"Todd, oh god, are you okay?" Her face appeared in his vision, she was worried, she didn't understand the pain he was feeling.

"I- I don't think so. Something happened. Dirk-" he faltered, and he saw the worry pass over Farah's face. The look that said, what if they never saw Dirk again? What if Dirk had died?

"What happened?" Amy had appeared in the doorway to the kitchen holding the coffee she had run out to get. Farah glanced over.

"I don't know. You're a wolf maybe you can help." Amy furrowed her brow, quickly placing the coffees down on Dirk's desk and walking over. Todd took a deep breath trying to calm himself, but the scents in the office were overpowering. Between the worry, and the panic, and the coffee and-

Dirk.

The office smelled so much like Dirk and Todd couldn't handle it.

"Hey, Todd, what happened? I left for like 20 minutes." Amy's hand rested gently on Todd's knee, her voice was soft, allowing him to focus his hearing and tune out the other noises.

"I don't know. I heard him, I felt him, but then, I don't know, he broke the connection? It hurts." He clutched his head, burying his face in his arms. He could smell Amy slowly beginning to panic, and it wasn't helping him relax.

"Hey, I'm sure everything is going to work out, everything is connected, right? So, tell me what else you felt. What happened right before the connection broke?" he shook his head.

"I don't know." He was still crying. He took a deep breath and this time felt his heart slow, the further he got from the moment the better he felt. "He was so scared. I don't even know. And there was, smoke or something, maybe, and, I felt dizzy like the room was spinning."

Amy's scent changed immediately; panic turned to dread. She stood quickly and backed away. Farah turned her head at the movement.

"Whoa, hey, does that mean something?" Todd had never seen Amy look so scared, and he had seen her locked in a cage for three months. Amy swallowed, wringing her hands in front of her as her fear increased.

"There are, rumors, whispers really, of creatures, that, up until just now I believed to be extinct. I mean they're so old, and there was only ever like, five in the world, maybe, and–"

"Amy!" Farah stood and was trying to grab onto Amy's arm. Amy turned away from her slightly, the fear spiking again.

"It's just– it can't be real! If they're real, then all the other creatures that go bump in the night are too, and that's just, that can't be. Do you know how many dangerous magical creatures there are that people think aren't really real?!"

"Amy!" Todd pushed himself off the ground, slowly walking forward. "Amy, whatever you're afraid of, it has Dirk, I need to know." She swallowed, trying to steady her breathing.

"Dragons." She said. "Dirk's been taken by a dragon."


	2. Here Be Dragons

Dirk noticed the pain in his head first, but it quickly spread to the rest of him, with hotspots in his wrist and back. What had he been doing the night before? Had Richard convinced him to finally go out to the pub? Dirk could have guessed that a night out with Richard would have ended in full body pain and a screaming headache and he was surprised he had agreed.

"Dirk? You okay, man?"

Dirk's eyes snapped open. The man standing over him was positively not Richard. In fact, Dirk was reasonably sure he had never seen this man before. He sat up and scooted away from him and into something very hard, aggravating the pain in his back.

"What's going on?" Dirk's voice was hoarse, and it felt like he had bit his tongue quite badly.

"Whoa, hey, are you okay? You don't look too great?" The man held up his hands trying to help calm Dirk. It didn't help, as Dirk took in their surroundings. He was trapped, in a cage, with a very tall, very strong looking person.

"I don't _look_ great? I don't _feel_ great! What the hell is going on?" The man frowned, he seemed to be confused by Dirk.

"The guards brought you back last night from talking with Zhao. You were unconscious and bleeding from your ears. But they gave you a brace for your wrist, so I guess that's plus." Nothing the man said rang any bells.

"Guards? Zhao? Bleeding from my ears? That doesn't tell me what's going on! Who even are you?" The look of confusion on the man's face turned to worry.

"What? It's Nick, remember?" Dirk shook his head, noticing the brace on his wrist for the first time. Had he broken his wrist?

"Okay, I need you to focus, what's the last thing you remember?" Dirk looked back at the man, Nick.

"The last thing I remember? I don't know. I was in my flat. I had just solved a case involving a sofa. I was thinking about running down to the cinema to watch that new movie with that actor, oh what was it called? It doesn't matter! At no point do I remember getting locked into a cage with an American tourist!" Nick raised his eyebrows.

"Okay, first off, I'm Canadian. Second off, American tourist? Dude, where do you think you are?" Dirk went to say that he didn't know, but Nick continued speaking, "I mean, what country are we in?" Dirk frowned.

"England?" He ventured. Nick's eyes widened, and he sat down carefully in front of Dirk.

"What year is it?"

"What year is it? Why does it matter–"

"Dirk!"

"2015! Goodness! Are you happy now?" Nick was shaking his head, fear and worry etched across his face.

"So you don't remember coming to America? You don't remember getting captured by Zhao's thugs? You don't remember? Ugh, what did you say his name was? Todd? Do you remember Todd?" Dirk felt panic blossom in his chest. America? How did he get to America? Had Blackwing found him again? Was this some new Blackwing scare tactic? Who was Todd?

His heart skipped a beat.

Dirk reached up, more out of shock, to feel at his heart. Did Todd mean something? His heart skipped again.

"I don't, I can't, wait. What year is it?" His voice came out in a choked whisper.

"It's 2018."

Three years.

How was he missing three years? Panic took hold, and Dirk started to hyperventilate. He couldn't remember the last three years, what was he supposed to do? He was apparently in the middle of a case, and his aches and pains told him it was life or death, but he couldn't remember anything about it!

_Todd._

It felt like a hunch, but deeper, stronger. Who was Todd to him? Was he going to come and find him or was Dirk expected to get out of this on his own? He took a breath and locked eyes with Nick.

"Tell me everything I told you before, and then tell me everything you know about this, whoever it was you said I went to visit." Dirk was going to solve this case, and hopefully, in doing so, find his missing years.

  
Todd sent Amy home. He wasn't going to involve her in facing off against a dragon. He did, however, reach out to Yuki to see if she could help.

"Todd, dragons are myths, are you sure that's what has Dirk." Yuki was currently in Arizona, and they had elected to Skype over the office TV.

"Positive. Is there anything in the legends that you can think of that could tell us where they are?" Yuki frowned as her image fuzzed out for a moment.

"Honestly, if dragons are real, there isn't a lot that can be done against them. They're like gods in comparison to you or me." Todd was surprised. Yuki had explained how her shift worked and as far as he was concerned, Yuki was the closest thing he'd ever met to a god. Unless you counted Francis, Francis won hands down.

"But if I wanted to find one, where would I look?"

"You'd be looking for someone wealthy. Someone who collects rare, antique items. They probably live alone, or with some wait staff. Dragons, at least in the stories, are solitary creatures. But it depends on what kind of dragon it is. Western civilization has dragons that are large and ferocious. They breathe fire, destroy villages, that sort of thing. But the Eastern culture has dragons that are more elemental in nature. Spirits who play tricks and can control water and fire. In all honesty, you'd probably want it to be a dragon from the west, but knights killed off most, if not all of them during the time of King Arthur, so you're probably looking at an Eastern dragon, which is not good." The feed fuzzed again as she moved a piece of hair from her face.

"So we're probably dealing with an Eastern dragon. Cool. How would I, say, kill it?" He would do anything at this point if it meant he could have Dirk back.

"I honestly don't know. If you could find yourself a berserker, maybe you'd have a chance of knocking it out, but short of an actual god you're not going to do much damage." Todd groaned, leaning forward and resting his hands on the desk.

"Okay, know any berserkers? Or gods?"

"I don't Todd, I'm sorry. I had heard a rumor about a berserker in Seattle, but nothing was ever confirmed." Todd nodded, looking back up at the screen.

"Alright. Thanks for the info Yuki. See you when you get back."

"Good luck, Todd. I'm sure everything will all work out." She clicked off the connection, and Todd was left standing alone in the office. The quiet was overwhelming. He would have given anything to hear Dirk go on a long rant about absolutely nothing.

It was too quiet.

Todd sat down in front of his computer and opened up the internet. What was he supposed to type? Dragon house in Seattle? If I was going to kidnap someone where would I take them? Something Yuki said flashed through his mind. He clicked on the search bar and type quickly.

_Seattle billionaire purchases fine art._

And there it was, right at the top. 'Billionaire Zhao Long Purchases Van Gogh Piece, $7.8 Million.'

"Farah! I've got something!" Todd quickly jotted down the address he had found and grabbed his coat. Farah appeared in the door to kitchen.

"Are you sure? Was it something Yuki said?"

"Yes, and yes. Yuki said to look for rich recluses who collect old things, and guess who bought an old, expensive painting?"

"A rich recluse?"

"Exactly!" Todd was halfway to the door when Farah cleared her throat. He turned to see that she still hadn't moved from the door.

"What's the plan?" She asked, her voice was soft, she was trying to understand the panic inside of Todd, but he knew she just couldn't.

"Well, we'll go, and we'll talk to him, and we'll see what he knows." Todd could feel how bad of a plan that was as he said it.

"And, if he is a dragon? What do we do then? Amy said dragons are essentially indestructible."

"Yeah, that's what Yuki said too." Farah sighed, walking into the main space and over to him.

"So you're going to go against the advice of not only our secretary, but the person who you said, and I'm quoting, 'is probably the closest thing to a god'?" Todd felt a heat build in his chest.

"Well, we can't do nothing. Farah, Dirk is in trouble, he needs us, he needs me! We have to find him!" He was starting to actually panic, his resolve cracking the longer he stood there not looking for Dirk.

"We will find Dirk, but we can't just keep going into places guns blazing. The last time we did that you almost died, you– you did die. And I can't go through that again. With either of you. We need to come up with a plan that keeps us all safe and saves Dirk." Farah was right. Of course Farah was right. Todd let his grief wash over him as he deflated onto the couch.

"I know. I just, it's so quiet." Farah sat down next to him, wrapping him in a hug.

"I know. I miss him too."

  
Dirk hid behind Nick when the guards appeared. If what Nick had told him was accurate he wanted to be nowhere near Zhao or his goons. The lead guard stepped up to the door.

"Gently. Zhao would like to see you." Dirk poked his head around Nick so that he could see the guards.

"I'm terribly sorry, but I don't quite feel up to talking to Mr. Zhao at the moment." Nick threw him an annoyed look, conveying how ridiculous Dirk looked hiding behind him.

"It wasn't a request Gently. Move, or we tase Mr. Hoffstetter." Dirk moaned and slowly walked around Nick.

"If I don't make it back, I don't know, find that Todd person and tell them you tried. Make me sound heroic I guess." Dirk looked up at Nick who was glaring at him, a look Dirk realized was probably just his face.

"I'd rather drink bleach." He growled. Dirk nodded and continued toward to the door.

"Nice chat. Alright boys, lead on." The main guard dragged Dirk from the cell and pushed him forward. Dirk nearly tripped over his own shoes but managed to stay standing. They walked down several halls and arrived at a door that led outside. It was morning, and the sun was shining. If he hadn't been kidnapped, he'd have thought this to be a perfect day.

Before they exited the building, the larger guard pulled a pair of handcuffs from his pocket. Unlike regular handcuffs, these seemed to be made of the same material as the cage. Most likely to block the bond that Nick had mentioned.

They pushed Dirk through the door, and out into a large grassy courtyard, that had been built into the middle of the house. Dirk found himself face to face with a man he had been assured he had met just the day before.

"Hello, Mr. Gently. Care to try again?" Zhao, for that was certainly who this was, moved towards him across the manicured lawn. Dirk was going to start in on a rant but decided against it.

"Why not." He said. He wasn't sure if Zhao was aware he had lost a large chunk of his memories, but Nick had suggested he pretended he hadn't.

Zhao was now within arm's length, and his eyes seemed to glow from this close-up.

"Tell me about the wolf." There was a deep hiss in his words causing a pain stirred in Dirk's stomach. Dirk wanted so desperately to run, but he was glued where he was.

"Well, they're pack creatures, I believe, living in large groups. Matriarchal if I remember correctly. They've been pretty much eradicated from certain spots in Europe, but I understand they're more proliferous here in the states." Zhao looked confused, which seemed an odd expression on his face.

"No, tell me about the wolf that you know." There was a burning in the back of Dirk's brain.

"I don't know any wolves. They're not exactly domesticated." Dirk had no way to know if this was going well. From the look on Zhao's face, he didn't think it was.

"What were you doing at the art museum?" Zhao took another step forward, his eyes were definitely glowing.

"Looking at art." Dirk countered.

"And what were you doing on the boat?"

"Obviously looking to charter it for services, which were not rendered, I might add." Dirk was reasonably pleased with himself. Zhao was getting flustered, and flustered wasn't an emotion Zhao seemed accustomed to.

"You're telling me; you went to the art museum to look at art, and then you boarded my boat in an attempt to take a leisure cruise, and then you just happened to know exactly what to say to get my men to bring you here, so that you could, what? Talk to me?"

"It does seem that way, doesn't it." Zhao's eyes ignited into red coals sending panic racing through Dirk's system, but at that moment the door to the house opened.

"Excuse me, sir. There's a reporter here asking to speak with you about the Van Gogh." Zhao stormed around Dirk and towards the guard.

"Who's the reporter?"

"Someone named Tina Tevetino. She said she called you last week to confirm, but that you had seemed rather busy. Shall I send her away?" Zhao glared over at Dirk like he was trying to solve the most intricate puzzle.

"No, I'll deal with her. Please take Mr. Gently to my study." The guard entered the courtyard and grabbed Dirk by the arm, dragging him back into the house. He was led through a few more corridors and eventually deposited into a large, classical looking office. Dirk had a feeling he had been there before.

_Painting._

He glanced around at the beautiful art that decorated the room, but his eyes landed on a piece above the fireplace. Dirk walked slowly over to the painting and stared at it for an unknown stretch of time. He found himself lost in the swirls and the color. He had always loved art, but there was something about this piece. He realized that he had started crying and carefully wiped the tears from his face.

There was something about the painting. Dirk was sure he had seen it before. The warm flutter that accompanied thinking about the name Todd surfaced as he continued to stare at the painting.

Something about the painting and Todd. Had they seen the painting together? Perhaps that's where they had become engaged, and that's why Dirk was crying. That didn't feel right. He started pacing, making tight circles around the small coffee table in front of the fireplace.

"Museum, boat, painting, Todd. Museum, boat, painting, Todd." He started repeating hoping that somehow saying it out loud would help connect the pieces.

And then, his brain clicked. They were connected. Of course they were, everything was connected. Dirk looked around the room.

"Secretive billionaire, beautiful art, museum, boat." He gasped.

_Solved it._

The door to the study banged open knocking Dirk from his thoughts. A girl, in her 20s perhaps, with long dark hair and dressed quite sharply, stumbled in. Zhao followed, a gun aimed at the girl's head.

_Protect._

Dirk cursed the universe. Couldn't it have given him something more helpful? The girl looked up, her face going from angry to excited in a blink.

"Dirk!" Her voice sounded so familiar, but Dirk couldn't place it. Zhao cocked the gun and brought it to the girl's scalp.

"Tell me who this is." There was the hissing sound again. Dirk swallowed, he wasn't sure what to do next.

"Zhao, you're really going to hate my answer."

  
Amanda had been super stoked to help out. She had always wanted to go in undercover, and it seemed like an easy gig. Go in, pretend to be a reporter, ask a couple of questions about a painting, and get out. Talking to the guard had gone fine. He left her in the largest entryway she had ever seen. Large old-looking paintings hung on the walls, and she was admiring them when a new man appeared.

He was well dressed in an expensive fitted suit and Amanda knew that this was her guy.

"Hello, I'm Ms. Tina Tevetino with the Seattle Times. We spoke on the phone last week?" The man shook her outstretched hand and smiled.

"Of course, Ms. Tevetino, so nice to finally meet you. What can I do for you?" Amanda flipped out her pad and pen. She had made sure to grab a pad and pen thinking it would make her look more official, she realized now that it made her look slightly like a cop.

"Well, Mr. Zhao, I was hoping we could talk about the Van Gogh you recently acquired." A shadow crossed over the man's face.

"The Van Gogh, well, I'm terribly sorry Ms. Tevetino, but I'm no longer in possession of it. See, I donated it to the Seattle Art Museum, anonymously, of course, you understand." Amanda nodded her head, making a quick note on her pad that simply sad 'SAM, gave it away'.

"Well that certainly is charitable of you Mr. Zhao, perhaps we could talk about your philanthropy in the local community?" Amanda hadn't noticed the annoyed expression that had covered Zhao's face, how could she, she had only known the man for two minutes.

"I think it would be best if you were to try to reschedule, or perhaps find another person to do your piece on." Amanda heard a high-pitched ringing, but it quickly dissipated.

"Unfortunately, I'm on a tight deadline, it won't take more than 5 minutes of your time."

The gun found a resting place on her nose. She squeaked, dropping her pad and pen and moving back a step.

"You're with him, aren't you?" Amanda blinked, still surprised by the gun.

"Mr. Zhao, I promise I don't know what you mean." He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her through the halls of the house. How big was this house?

"6000 years. 6000 years and not once have I ever been unable to control those around me. But you, and that man, and that damned bear, you're all so strong-willed. When did the world start making stronger people?" He shoved her ahead of him, holding the gun to her back. Amanda continued forward with her hands raised slightly.

"Mr. Zhao, I promise-"

"Cut the crap. I know you're all in on it together. Trying to topple my empire. But no matter, we will get to the bottom of this, and it will be the last thing you do." He shoved her through a set of double doors into a large office. Movement by the fireplace caught her attention, and she was surprised to see Dirk, standing bewildered under the exact painting Todd had shown her.

"Dirk!" She shouted. She was so happy to see him, that was until the nose of the gun connected to her head, and she heard a very distinct click noise.

"Tell me who this is." There was the hissing sound again. Amanda's ears rang, and she had to resist the urge to rub at them. Dirk swallowed and gave an apologetic smile.

"Zhao, you're really going to hate my answer." He said. The gun pushed closer to Amanda's head, and she honestly hated at that moment that she wasn't like the other Rowdies.

"Tell. Me. Who. This. Is." So much ringing, was it something Zhao was doing? It had to be.

"I don't know!" Dirk shouted, raising his hands, which Amanda noted were cuffed together.

"Wrong answer." Amanda braced herself.

"No! No! Wait. I promise you. I have no idea. I'm sure I did at some point. Hell, I'm sure I did yesterday! But I can't remember. I don't know if it's the concussion or the drugs you gave me, but I swear to all of the gods, I don't know who that is." Amanda narrowed her eyes. She had seen Dirk lie. He was very, very, unbelievably bad at it. What Amanda saw behind his eyes was the truth.

Oh god, Dirk didn't remember her. Which meant that–

"Todd." She said it out loud. Both men turned to look at her, a sad emotion clouding Dirk's feature as Zhao adjusted the gun.

"Who is Todd?"

_Shit. Good going, Amanda._

"Me, I'm Todd. My name is Emma Todd, not Tina Tevetino. I'm an associate of Dirk's." Zhao looked between her and Dirk while Dirk seemed slightly confused. Amanda wasn't surprised at all at that point.

"So, you work with him." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes, occasionally, he calls me in when things get, difficult. I hadn't heard from him in a few days, and so I went looking." Zhao narrowed his eyes, Amanda saw his nostrils flare, a move she had seen Todd do many times. Todd had been right, this guy was something.

"But you're not a wolf. Who is the wolf?"

"There is no wolf. I have a friend who helped me out once, but it was just for that case a couple of months back." Amanda lied. It wasn't all a lie, Todd was her friend, and they worked on that one case a couple of months back. Zhao continued to stare her down.

"Smith!" Zhao shouted, causing both Dirk and Amanda to jump. A guard appeared in the doorway.

"Take these two back to the bear." Smith went to grab Amanda first which had been his mistake. Dirk seemed to materialize behind Zhao with one of the old swords from the fireplace. With a quick slice, Amanda heard metal connect with skin and a $4000 suit. Zhao screamed, dropping the gun as he reeled around. Dirk lunged forward, burying the sword into Zhao's stomach.

Amanda dropped and grabbed the gun, aiming it at the guard. He went to grab her, and she fired point blank into his chest. The guard dropped, and Amanda gasped, she had never actually killed anyone before.

"Emma, come on!" Dirk was at the door, waving her over with his head.

"Emma!" Amanda jumped up and raced over, gun forgotten on the floor.

"It's Amanda." Dirk frowned as they ran into the corridor.

"How many names do you have? You know what? It doesn't matter, come on, we have to get Nick." Dirk ran in the opposite direction of the front door and further into the facility.

"Wait, who's Nick?" She shouted as they rounded corner after corner. Dirk slowed as they neared another set of doors.

"He's a berserker, who I told I would set free. Through here." He ran through the doors, Amanda close behind him.

"Dirk? Who is that?" A man, a very tall, imposing-looking man, stood in a cage gawking as they reached the door.

"This is Emma-"

"Amanda."

"-she's going to help us escape." Nick looked very concerned, especially for someone who looked like they could dead life a car.

"Escape? You can't escape–" a roar tore through the building, causing Amanda's ears to ring. Nick looked up towards the door, fear shadowing his face.

"-a dragon." He finished.

  
Dirk didn't have time to deal with the likelihood that there actually was a dragon. He turned to Amanda, or Emma, or Tina, or whatever her name was.

"Can you pick a lock?" She looked back at him and nodded. Pulling one of the bobby pins from her hair, she set to work on Dirk's handcuffs and then turned to the cage after a moment. Another moment more and the three of them were running deeper into the facility.

"This is a bad idea. This is a bad idea." Nick was muttering as they found a door that led outside.

"All of my ideas are bad until they aren't, this way!" Dirk led them along the building in the best direction he could find.

"Dirk, we're too close to the building, I still can't shift." Nick hissed as they found themselves on the front lawn. At the moment they were covered by the building, but to get to the road, they had to cross the open ground.

"Well then, once more unto the breach." Dirk took off at a dead sprint. Dirk didn't know where he was going, but he had complete faith that he would get to where he needed to be if he only continued forward. He was relieved to see that both Amanda and Nick had raced after him.

They were halfway across the field when something knocked the wind out of Dirk, he tripped falling onto his already damaged wrist and cried out.

_Shit_ , he thought to himself.

_Dirk?_

That was new. What was that voice? Amanda was shouting at him, and Nick was grabbing him by his arm.

"What the hell man? Come on!" Nick threw him forward, propelling him back into a sprint. Dirk didn't have time to think about the voice in his head because at that moment Zhao appeared in front of them, his eyes glowing like hot embers. The group skidded to a halt, Nick placing himself in front of Dirk and Amanda.

"You thought you could escape that easily? I am going to burn you to dust. There will be nothing that remains of Dirk–" he was cut off by the largest wolf Dirk had ever seen jumping on him from behind. Zhao pitched forward, roaring in pain as the wolf clamped down on his shoulder.

_Stay away from them!_

The voice again. Dirk was so focused on the voice that he almost didn't notice the giant bear that had appeared. Amanda squeaked and grabbed Dirk by the hand.

"All non-shifters are going now!" They raced around the wolf and the bear who were pushing Zhao back towards the house.

"You won't get away from me!" There was a loud clap of thunder, and Dirk looked back in time to see a massive, monstrous dragon emerge from a cloud of smoke.

Dirk had seen drawings of dragons in books, and he had of course seen movies, but it didn't compare to the real thing. Nearly 30 feet in length, Zhao had no wings, and instead was more serpentine, with a long body and powerful legs. His large, feathered head shook, knocking Nick to the ground as a roar tore from his jaws. Bright red scales flashed in the sunlight, and Dirk lost his footing. As he fell forward again, Amanda grabbed him with her free hand and steadied him, her eyes going wide as she spotted the dragon. They made it to the fence, but they were trapped, the gate was another hundred yards off.

"Come on." Amanda was attempting to scale the fence with little luck. Dirk went to join her when his side exploded in pain.

"Shit!" He collapsed clutching his side, expecting to see blood, but seeing nothing. Amanda looked down at him, and then over his shoulder.

"TODD!" The cry tore from her lips, anguish and sorrow blended, breaking Dirk's heart in two. Dirk turned to see that the wolf had fallen. The bear, Nick, was violently clawing at the dragon with little effect while the dragon slowly crushed the wolf.

Dirk felt the pain in his side increase spreading across his body, as he fell onto his side in the grass.

_Todd?_

_Dirk._

It was the bond that Nick had tried to explain. It was slowly killing Dirk, and Zhao was rapidly killing Todd.

_Dirk, I'm sorry._

There was so much love, and warmth, and pain in the voice. How could Dirk possibly deserve that? And then he saw it.

Every moment, every touch, every kiss, everything. Dirk could see Todd's smiling face as they traveled the countryside looking for a time machine. He could feel Todd hugging him after escaping Blackwing. He could see Todd dying, and coming back to life. That moment on the porch at the cabin, from what felt like a lifetime ago, came back to him. Him holding tightly to Todd's neck and never wanting to let go.

All of those moments.

They were fading. Dirk was fading. The pain was too much.

_Todd!_

He heard Todd growl and felt him push against Zhao's massive claw.

_I'm coming, Dirk._

Todd howled and bit down hard on Zhao's foot. Nick noticed the move and barreled into the dragon, knocking him off balance and setting Todd free. Todd jumped up, blood-matted fur clinging to his body, and limped out of reach of Zhao as Nick attempted to bring the dragon down. Dirk felt tears running down his face as he felt Amanda trying to lift him up.

"We can't be here, Dirk." She was saying as she dragged him toward the gate. Todd turned to look at them, his blue eyes burning brightly against his dark fur.

_Be safe, Dirk, I'll come home to you, promise._ And then Todd turned launching himself onto the dragon's back. Dirk could feel the wounds healing but not fast enough.

"Amanda, they're not strong enough." He croaked. She had given up trying to drag him and had collapsed alongside him.

"I don't know what to do, Dirk." She cried. Dirk didn't either. He closed his eyes, reaching out to the universe, praying for a miracle.

Another clap of thunder drew Dirk's attention to his right. Standing not too far away was Yuki. The grass surrounding her had singed, and small sparks danced on her fingertips. She glanced over to Dirk and Amanda and gave a broad grin, her eyes glowing a molten amber.

"I heard I'm the closest thing to a god you that guys know and figured I'd swing by," Yuki said, giving a slight wave and sending bright sparks into the air with the motion.

"Great timing!" He shouted back, his voice coming out more as a strained cry as the pain in his side tried to push him into unconsciousness. Yuki nodded and turned her attention back to the battle.

"You might want to take cover." He body began to glow bright gold as she slowly started to float.

  
Todd had never been in so much pain. Every bone in his body felt like it was broken, and yet he was standing. He had to stay standing. He could see Dirk and Amanda had stopped moving, Amanda too tired to continue to drag Dirk. Todd knew that Dirk wouldn't be able to walk until Todd had fully healed.

He had started to doubt whether he and the berserker could take out the dragon when a thunderclap drew his attention. Standing in the middle of the field was Yuki, he eyes pools of amber and a golden glow beginning to encompass her.

_Shit. Berserker, move!_ Todd barked running away from both Yuki and the dragon. The bear followed him close behind, feeling the shift in the fight as Yuki fully embraced her fox. Todd had thought he understood what Yuki meant when she said 'being of pure energy'.

He had clearly misunderstood.

Todd could still see Yuki, but she was floating about fifteen feet off the ground and was encircled by golden, flashing energy. Todd could also see the fox, its form made of crackling gold light that radiated from Yuki. Nine tails swished together, leaving scorch marks in the grass behind her.

_And who are you?_ Zhao's voice boomed around him, scratching at his insides.

_I would ask you the same question, but it's not going to matter in a moment._ The golden light of the fox arced forward, connecting with the dragon's chest and knocking him down. He roared, thrashing his neck and nearly taking out Todd and the bear.

_I will burn your soul to dust!_ Zhao roared. The berserker charged, taking advantage of the proximity to Zhao's head. With powerful claws he sliced into the dragon's face, gouging his eyes. Todd raced the other way, biting down hard on Zhao's heels.

_My soul's fairly busy at the moment, how about we burn yours!_ Todd howled. Yuki readied another strike as Todd and the berserker moved clear. The golden light sent Zhao entirely to the ground. As Yuki prepared herself to strike again, she lowered the fox's head.

_Any last words before I send you to the hereafter?_ Her voice crackled through Todd's mind. Zhao raised his head, deep gouges scoring his face.

_You will harden. You will all harden. Eternity is not for the weak. One day, you will wake, and be like me._ He lunged once more, but Yuki was faster. The Kitsune's final strike shattered Zhao into a billion particles of light.

With a grace Todd had yet to master, Yuki lowered herself to the ground, the golden outline of the fox fading away.

"Well," she said looking between Todd and the berserker, "That was fun. Let's wait a bit though before we have to do that again. Sound good?" Todd glanced over at the bear and shrugged.

_Fine by me,_ Todd said, trying to shake the soreness from his body.

"Todd!" Amanda called across the lawn. Todd looked up to see her holding Dirk at an odd angle, Farah sprinting towards them. Todd raced forward, making the distance in under ten seconds, a new personal best. Dirk was ashen, his eyes drifting closed as Todd appeared.

"Todd?" Dirk's voice was hoarse, he looked like he had maybe lost a few pounds, and he was clutching his side. Todd glanced at his wound. It was still there, healing but not fast enough.

"Todd, he's going into shock. I don't think his body can take the stress." Farah was timing Dirk's pulse as spoke. Todd snorted and moved forward, crouching down so that his head was resting on Dirk's chest. He knew pushing on Dirk wouldn't add to the pain, it was all mental. Unfortunately, the shock was real.

_Hey, think you can hang in there? The pain will be gone soon._ He wasn't sure why Dirk was able to feel his pain, the bond had never really worked like that before. He filed it away as something he would need to ask Amy.

_I'll give it a shot._ Dirk's reply was tired. Todd nuzzled closer.

_I found you. Just like we always do. Did you miss me?_ Dirk gave a sad laugh.

_I'm going to be honest Todd, I suffered a blow to the head, and up until a couple of minutes_ _ago, I couldn't remember who you were_. Todd was positively hurt. Dirk had forgotten him?

_It wasn't just you, I thought it was 2015. Nick had to try to help me remember. It didn't work great._

_Well, you remember now right?_ Todd scooted closer still, his nose connecting with Dirk's chin. Todd could smell the shock in Dirk's body, his system was starting to shut down. Todd looked up at Farah who had started rubbing Dirk's shoulder. Yuki and Nick had wandered over as well, Yuki taking a seat near Todd and resting her hand on his back. He glanced over at her as her eyes reignited and a warmth spread from her hand and into his body. Todd could feel his wounds healing faster and glanced back down at Dirk who seemed to have relaxed a little.

_Of course, I remember. I could never forget you, not completely. You were there, I felt it._ Dirk reached his hand up and ran it through the fur on Todd's neck.

_And you were very heroic,_ slayed _a dragon and everything._ Todd snorted, looking back at Yuki and Nick.

_I mean, Yuki and the berserker really took care of the dragon, but you're right I helped._ Dirk's eyes blinked closed, and he sighed.

_Todd?_

_Yes, Dirk?_

_I'm gonna take a nap, will you be here when I wake up?_ Todd felt panic rise in his system. Whatever Yuki was doing was helping him heal faster but Todd wasn't sure if Dirk was actually feeling the affects.

_I don't know if you should really sleep, can you stay awake, for me?_

Dirk's eyes opened, his eyes focusing on Todd's.

_Okay, I'll try._ Todd rose slowly, giving Dirk's face a gentle lick. Yuki stood as well and helped Farah get Dirk up. With careful maneuvering they were able to get Dirk onto Todd's back who slowly walked, feeling for the beating of Dirk's heart with each step.

_Dirk, tell me a story to keep yourself awake._ Todd encouraged. He hoped that Dirk was still conscious. Dirk gave a sigh and moved slightly, propping himself up.

"6000 years ago in China, there was a dragon," Dirk began, startling Amanda and Farah. Yuki and Nick were walking slowly behind, looking for guards or security personnel, but it looked like everyone had abandoned the building.

"This dragon liked beautiful art so he began collecting everything he could find. Through the years he became wealthy by selling off some of his pieces, but he hated to sell the originals. So, he spent time learning to paint all of the styles. He started 'donating' pieces to museums and received a tax break, helping him to retain his wealth. He also used a private boat to illegally sell the more fakes at an inflated markup on the Black Market. He became paranoid in his old age, opting to live alone in the middle of nowhere with limited security. He built the entire house from iron forged with his own blood to ensure that no one except him could shift in the house. He captured Nick to make sure he knew where the only Berserker in Seattle was at all times to help make sure that he could never be defeated, he failed to realize that Yuki would be a threat because until recently she had been locked up.

"The Van Gogh at the museum is a fake, it's almost perfect, but it seems that Zhao would slip in some of his persuasion power, or whatever that was, to help keep up the illusion. Normal people saw nothing out of the ordinary. But a holistic detective with a very heroic soul bonded fiancé was able to see through the magic and spot the fake. He was then unfortunately captured but was rescued, and the dragon was slain. The end." Dirk leaned back down, holding tight to Todd's neck. They had made it back to the car without incident

_Good job, can you stand? Farah's gonna drive you back to the city and get you to a hospital._

"No," Dirk's grip tightened. "I'm going with you." Todd sighed.

_Dirk, no, you need to go to the hospital._ Todd tried again, more forceful.

_I need you,_ came the reply. Todd whined and lowered himself to the ground.

_I'll be right behind you,_ he promised, _I'll come with you to the hospital, but you have to go with Farah._

Dirk tried to protest as Yuki pulled him, with surprising ease, from Todd's back.

"No, Todd!" Todd barked, and nuzzled his head into Dirk's chest.

_Go, I'll be right behind you, I promise._

Dirk nodded and accepted Farah's help into the car. Amanda gave Todd a quick hug.

"I'll make sure he doesn't die, I swear." She said. Todd snorted and rubbed against her hand. She turned and jumped into the car as Farah started back down the long winding road out of the mountains.

_Thank you,_ Todd said looking over at Yuki, _for coming, and saving the day, and the healing thing. All of it. We'd be dead if it wasn't for you._

"No problem at all Todd. Amy called and told me you were probably going to do something stupid and that I should probably come back. She is very rarely wrong I have found, as I arrived and you were, in fact, doing something very, very stupid." She was smiling as Todd bumped against her.

_Yeah, but we don't tell Amy that because then she'll get a complex._ He sighed, looking back down the road in the direction that the car had gone. It was going to be a long walk back to the city, but at least he wasn't going to be alone.

_Well_ , Todd started looking between Yuki and Nick, _If you guys are looking for a job, the agency is always hiring._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See! No one died (well, the dragon did, but none of the gang!)
> 
> One more quick little fluff chapter going up soon!


	3. Epilogue

"Are you sure we can't put a sign up that says 'dragon slayers'?" Amy was laying upside down on the couch, a sucker in her mouth and her phone in her hands.

"Just, focus on maintaining the social media stuff. And please, for the love of god, cool it with the dragon slayer stuff. My parents called to ask if I needed to update my medication." Amy snorted and flipped herself into a standing position.

"That's going in the feed." She said, quickly typing up Todd's words for their 20,000 twitter followers as she walked towards the kitchen. Todd groaned after her.

"Thanks a bunch, why do we pay you again?"

"Because I help you get paid." He couldn't argue there. Ever since they had popped the can of worms that was the illegal art smuggling ring and took out Zhao, they had received far more, proper paying cases. Amy swerved to avoid Dirk as she entered the kitchen.

"Sorry Amy, morning!" She flicked her hand at him and continued typing on her phone.

"I must say, millennials certainly are attached to their devices," Dirk said, walking into the main area and taking a seat at his desk.

"Normally I would agree, but she has been working all morning, I've been watching the different feeds. She's got #DirkGently trending on Twitter, which seemed impressive, I don't know how broad the trend was, but still." Todd took a sip of his tea and felt a pull in his head. He glanced up and smiled across at Dirk who was beaming at him.

"What?" Todd asked. Dirk shook his head.

"Oh, nothing. It's nothing. I mean it's something. But it's a surprise. It's on its way." The front door dinged open, and Amanda walked in carrying a large box. Todd was immediately met with the smell of dog and narrowed his eyes.

"Dirk?" But Dirk was already up and moving towards Amanda.

"Did you get it?" Amanda snorted.

"No Dirk, this is a different box, not with the thing you think it is. Yes, of course, I got it, here." She handed over the box which had begun to squeak. She smiled over at Todd before heading back towards the door.

"Have fun!" She shouted. Todd stood and moved towards Dirk.

"What's in the box?" Todd knew what was in the box, but he could feel Dirk's excitement, and he wanted to play along.

"I know you know, so just open it." Dirk placed the box on the ground as Todd opened the lid. Todd was not surprised by the dog. He was, however, surprised by how adorable he thought a corgi puppy was. An 'awww' escaped him before he could stop himself. Dirk beamed.

"You like him? His name is Bentley if that's alright. I was going to get a cat, but wasn't sure how that was going to go, so, dog." Todd was cuddling the small puppy tightly to his chest.

"Dirk, he's perfect. How long have you been planning this?"

"About three months, I found a breeder, and then just had to wait for the litter to be ready for sale. You really like him?" Todd cradled Bently with one hand and grabbed Dirk's shirt with the other, pulling him in for a kiss.

_He's perfect, just like you._

The moment lasted all but three seconds, as the sound of a shutter ruined it. Todd turned, eyes flashing bright blue.

"Amy! Please go work somewhere else!" She was already running away.

"Gramming it!" Came her reply from the kitchen. Bentley barked after her and Todd laughed.

"That's right Bentley. You get her." Todd said, lightly lifting the puppy towards the kitchen and then bringing him back close to his chest. Dirk smiled and leaned back in for another kiss.

Despite their crazy lives, Todd was thankful for the ordinary little moments, like work kisses, and getting a dog, and most importantly his 12-step program to get Amy to quit her job. Not all the little moments were victories, but he reveled in the ones that were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See, I can do fluff, sort of. Part four is definitely just gonna be a couple of drabbles that are fluffy because plot is melting my brain and I need something cute.
> 
> Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> DundunDUUUN!!! Dragons! That's right. I added more magical creatures to this werewolf AU because why not.
> 
> Next chapter will be up soon! Hope you liked it!


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